2015 was the year of the SARM, which stands for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator…a long term that means a chemical that will activate the androgen receptor in muscle cells and yet not activate side effects like the prostate or the hairline. This is the holy grail right? All anabolic and nothing androgenic? Yes, it should be the holy grail but unfortunately all is not perfect in SARMville!

LIST OF SARMS ON THE GREY MARKET

So, what are the current SARM’s being sold on the grey market and which ones are good and bad?

S4 – S-3-(4-acetylaminophenoxy)-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-(4-nitro-3-trifluoromethylpheanyl)propionamide – a long name for the very first SARM on the market. Results were very mild (gains of 2-5lbs) and had some very nasty side effects like blurred vision!

Ostarine – MK2866 – (2S)-3-(4-cyanophenoxy)-N-[4-cyano-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-2-hydroxy-2-methylpropanamide) – the first real popular SARM that made an impact. Ostarine was a very popular SARM that was sold briefly as a sports supplement even though it was always illegal. Now you can find it underground at your gym possibly. Ostarine was a decent builder with limited side effects at low doses.

LGD-4033 – 4-((R)-2-((R)-2,2,2-trifluoro-1-hydroxyethyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl)-2-trifluoroMethyl)benzonitrile – this is a new SARM that is being sold on the grey market. This one looks really good because it is such a tight binder to the androgen receptor. That can be a very good thing depending on the tissue (muscle being good and hairline being bad).

RAD140 – this SARM is best known for it’s neuroprotection effects. It isn’t as strong of a binder as LGD-4033 but it does seem to help with mood and the neuro-muscular connection. Unfortunately it causes reduced sperm count and also testicular shut down which makes it very similar to a steroid in effects.

HOW ARE THE EFFECTS?

SARM’s are not well studied at the doses usually taken by bodybuilders. Most studies are in elderly people and they take 1/10th the amount that a typical bodybuilder would take. Unfortunately, that means that the side effects are not well understood either…

Most men do see results from SARM products and at 20-30mg of something like Ostarine, the average gains seem to be 4-10lbs in a 4-6 week period. Those gains are not bad at all but not much different from natural prohormones, which are well studied and the effects are well known. Sadly, with prescription drugs like SARM’s, we may never know the true side effects for many years. So, if you like being a guinea pig, then give SARM products a try. When I was in my youth, I didn’t much care about long term side effects, but as I get older I certainly feel different.

SARM SIDE EFFECTS

The true goal of the SARM revolution was to make something anabolic that had no negative side effects and at low doses SARM’s seem to accomplish that. The story changes when you get to doses used by most bodybuilders.

HIGH DOSE SARMS SIDE EFFECTS

Testicular Shut Down – lowering of your natural testosterone production

Liver Stress – elevated liver enzymes from trying to break down the drug

SARM’s are not supplements and are indeed pre-prescription drugs. That makes them new and not well understood. If you want to go down the SARM road, then by all means give them a try at your own risk, but for our money we would rather use legal prohormones. No matter what remember that no drug or supplement will do the work for you. Only hard work, exercise and a good diet will build muscle. SARM’s, steroids and supplements are not a replacement for the basics!

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